Young Turks

For bands success is a double-edged sword especially when they’re as young and fresh-faced as The xx. Following the collective freak-out over the Brit trio’s self-titled 2009 debut the group’s profile skyrocketed snagging them the 2010 Mercury Prize drawing the attention of A-list collaborators and perhaps most importantly helping usher in modern indie’s fascination with the whole PBR&B phenomenon.

But all that success also brings with it some ridiculously high expectations for the followup not to mention an insane amount of pressure. Well breathe easy Coexist is one hell of a return.

Instead of pulling the usual sophomore-album move of more is more The xx have stripped themselves bare making a record where the notes not played are just as important as those that are. So much so that their debut sounds like some cluttered and overwrought exercise in musical excess by comparison.

The band smartly relies on the beautifully fragile male-female vocal interplay of singers Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim with the reverb-drenched guitar strums and softly played bass plunks showing a restraint seldom seen in rock. But again it’s Jamie xx’s increasingly skilful production that steals the show morphing dubstep-inflected beats ghostly atmospherics and just the right amount of after-hours clubiness into one killer pop-noir soundscape. Yet for the reining in the album is never a bore as it offers plenty of twists and turns as it calmly lulls you into submission.

Rarely has a band done so much with so little — there’s no question Coexist has raised The xx bar even higher.

Tags: